The Heavens: Man Covers the Heavens, Refines Treasures to Become an Emperor

"Young master... it is this old servant's incompetence that has prevented me from protecting the family business..."

Jiang Xuan slowly raised his head, his eyes surging with anger and pain.

He shook his head, his voice low.

"No, Uncle Zhong, this is not your fault. The law of the jungle is the survival of the fittest. My Jiang family has suffered this calamity because we are not strong enough!"

He stood up, walked to the palace gate, and looked down at the bustling yet dangerous Forbidden City.

"What they took away, I will take back with my own hands! The humiliation they inflicted, I will repay a hundredfold! This Forbidden City, they want me to turn it upside down? Fine! I'll do as they wish!"

He turned around, looked at Jiang Zhong, and said, word by word.

"I will bring the Jiang family back to life from these ruins!"

Looking at Jiang Xuan's young yet incredibly resolute face, and the burning flame in his eyes.

Jiang Zhong seemed to see the same spirited young master Wen Jing from back then, who was determined to lead the Jiang family to glory!

Tears welled up in his cloudy old eyes, and he knelt down in emotion.

"This old servant...this old servant swears to follow the young master to the death! To revive the Jiang family!"

That night, Jiang Xuan rested in the dilapidated Xixin Hall.

He officially received the token from Jiang Zhong, which gave him control over the key access points to Xixin Peak.

An ancient jade seal carved with mountain and cloud patterns is named "Xi Xin Yu Xi" (Heart-Cleansing Jade Seal).

Holding the jade seal, he felt the fluctuations of the spiritual array within it, which was faintly connected to the entire mountain peak.

In the dead of night, Jiang Xuan took out an item from his storage ring—a simple-looking hairpin that was entirely silver and had a fine rose pattern carved at the end.

This was given to him by Instructor Xu Sanqi through Xiao Ke before he left Qingyang Town.

As Jiang Xuan stroked the cool hairpin, he seemed to see Xiao Ke's stubborn yet caring eyes again, and a feeling of warmth and longing welled up in his heart.

In this cold Forbidden City, these memories are an important source of his strength.

The next morning, the sky was slightly bright.

Jiang Xuan straightened his clothes and prepared to go down the mountain.

He needs to understand the current situation of the Forbidden City, and even more so, he needs to find resources and ways to become stronger.

Jiang Zhong waited outside the hall early, his face full of worry.

"Young Master, you're new here. The Forbidden City is a place teeming with all sorts of people and dangers. You must be extremely careful!"

Jiang Xuan nodded, his expression calm.

"Uncle Zhong, rest assured, I know what I'm doing. You stay on the mountain and make a detailed list of all the treasures and properties that the Jiang family has had looted by the various families. We need to be fully aware of the situation."

"Yes! This old servant understands!"

Jiang Zhong bowed and agreed.

Jiang Xuan said no more and turned to walk down the mountain.

He arrived at the edge of the cliff and activated the Cleansing Heart Jade Seal. The jade seal emitted a soft light.

Resonating with the spiritual array at the foot of the mountain, a staircase formed from pure white clouds and mist slowly extended to the ground.

When Jiang Xuan stepped onto the cloud ladder and landed steadily on the ground at the foot of Xixin Peak, he found that a group of people were already waiting in front of him.

There were about a dozen young people, all dressed smartly in fine clothes and with arrogant expressions.

Some of them were Jiang Yujiao and the others who had been taught a lesson by Jiang Xuan last night.

At this moment, their faces were filled with resentment and gloating as they pointed and whispered at Jiang Xuan.

Standing at the very front of the crowd was a handsome young man dressed in a bright yellow brocade robe, with a somewhat sinister look in his eyes.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his aura deep and composed, with subtle fluctuations of spiritual energy flowing around him.

It was a cultivator at the Heavenly Gang Realm!
This person is named Jiang Yingzhen. He is a direct descendant of the Xixi Jiang clan, one of the four collateral branches of the Jiang family, and is quite famous among the younger generation.

Seeing Jiang Xuan come down, Jiang Yingzhen stepped forward, looked Jiang Xuan up and down, and spoke in a cold tone.

"You're Jiang Xuan, the one who came back from outside?"

Jiang Xuan stopped and looked at him calmly without answering.

Jiang Yingzhen snorted coldly and continued speaking.

"I heard you were quite arrogant in the Cleansing Heart Hall last night, injuring several of my cousins ​​and even making outrageous remarks about taking control of Cleansing Heart Peak?"

The young men behind him chimed in agreement.

"Brother Yingzhen, that's him! He's incredibly arrogant!"

"How dare a bastard who appeared out of nowhere set his sights on Cleansing Heart Peak?"

"You simply don't know how high the sky is or how deep the earth is!"

Despite hearing these harsh words, Jiang Xuan remained calm and simply asked a question in return.

"So what if it is? Cleansing Heart Peak is now under my control. Is there a problem?"

This attitude, on the contrary, made the group of collateral relatives even angrier and more humiliated.

Jiang Yingzhen narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze filled with a cold light. He stared at Jiang Xuan, his voice carrying a sense of oppression.

"Xixin Peak is the foundation of my Jiang family. How dare you, a mere brat of unknown origin, claim it as your own? What qualifications do you have? With your paltry cultivation? If you know what's good for you, hand over the Xixin Jade Seal immediately and get out of Xixin Peak, otherwise..."

He didn't finish his sentence.

But the threat was self-evident.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xuan's lips curled into a faint, mocking smile.

"My qualifications? Just because I'm surnamed Jiang, the son of Jiang Wenjing and Luo Qingxun, and a direct descendant of Ancestor Jiang Daochen! Is that enough? As for you..."

His gaze swept over Jiang Yingzhen and the indignant collateral relatives behind him, his tone carrying a subtle hint of sarcasm.

"When the family was in trouble, you didn't stand up to protect the family business; now that I've returned, you can't wait to jump out and fight for power and profit? What a big shot you are!"

Jiang Yingzhen was thoroughly enraged by Jiang Xuan's merciless mockery.

His face turned ashen, and the spiritual energy fluctuations of the Heavenly Gang Realm around him suddenly became violent as he shouted sharply.

"Arrogant brat! It seems you won't know your place until I teach you a lesson! Today I'll show you that in the Forbidden City, strength is the only true measure of power!"

Before he finished speaking, his spiritual energy surged within him, and his right hand, with fingers pointing like a sword, instantly condensed into an incomparably sharp sword aura, carrying a dazzling golden light. With a piercing whistle that tore through the air, it stabbed straight at Jiang Xuan's face!

He used his full strength in this attack, intending to finish the battle quickly, severely injure Jiang Xuan, and save face!

Faced with a blow that could seriously injure or even kill an ordinary Earthly Realm cultivator, Jiang Xuan's eyes showed no fear whatsoever, but rather impatience and coldness.

He was too lazy to waste any more words on these entangled collateral relatives.

"Noisy!"

Jiang Xuan snorted coldly, without even drawing his sword, but simply forming a palm blade with his right hand.

The Earthly Qi within his body, refined by the "Ten Thousand Paths Devouring Heaven Technique" and far more refined and powerful than that of others of the same level, erupted with a thunderous roar!

A fierce, domineering sword intent, seemingly capable of severing everything, instantly coalesced at the edge of his palm!

He didn't use any fancy moves; it was just the simplest and most direct vertical slash!
The palm strike sliced ​​through the air, accompanied by a shrill whistling sound. It struck the golden sword energy with perfect precision, arriving faster than expected!

"Crack!" Jiang Yingzhen's seemingly sharp golden sword energy instantly collapsed and disintegrated under Jiang Xuan's slash, which contained terrifying power and unstoppable sword intent!
"what?!"

Jiang Yingzhen never expected that his all-out attack would be so easily broken by the opponent!

Moreover, the power emanating from the opponent's palm strike was so domineering that it sent shivers down his very soul!
A strong sense of crisis made him instinctively cross his arms in front of his chest, and his spiritual energy surged out wildly, forming layers of defense in front of him!

But, it's too late!

After shattering the sword energy, Jiang Xuan's palm strike continued its momentum, carrying an overwhelming force as it slammed into Jiang Yingzhen's crossed arms!

"Bang! Crack!"

A muffled thud was accompanied by the clear sound of bone cracking!

Jiang Yingzhen felt an indescribable force surging towards her.

His protective aura, which he was so proud of, shattered, and excruciating pain shot through his arms.

His feet left the ground, blood spurted from his mouth, and he flew backward, crashing heavily onto the ground more than ten feet away. He rolled several times before coming to a stop!

Those collateral relatives who were just making a ruckus were now all gaping and staring wide-eyed.

Looking at Jiang Yingzhen lying on the ground, coughing up blood, her arms twisted and deformed, in a sorry state.

Looking at Jiang Xuan, who was still standing there with a cold expression, my mind went completely blank!
Jiang Yingzhen, a Heavenly Realm cultivator and one of the most outstanding young members of the Xixi Jiang Clan, was actually swatted away like a fly by a mere Earthly Realm youth?!

How can this be? !
Jiang Xuan didn't even glance at the terrified collateral relatives. He stepped down the stairs and slowly walked to Jiang Yingzhen, who was slumped on the ground, coughing up blood.

Jiang Yingzhen was shocked, angry, and fearful. She struggled to get up, but due to her severe injuries and internal organ turmoil, she was unable to stand up at all.

Jiang Xuan bent down, his cold gaze sweeping over Jiang Yingzhen's storage ring, the spirit jade hanging at his waist, and the bright yellow brocade robe of extraordinary material.

Without any hesitation, he reached out and pulled off Jiang Yingzhen's storage ring, then removed the spirit jade, and finally even began to strip off his brocade robe and outer trousers.

"What...what do you want to do?! Stop!"

Jiang Yingzhen was filled with shame and indignation, and struggled desperately, but to no avail.

Jiang Xuan moved swiftly, quickly looting Jiang Yingzhen of all his valuables, leaving him only a pair of underwear to cover his shame.

Then he casually tossed those things into his storage ring, as if he had done something insignificant.

Looking at Jiang Yingzhen, who was almost naked, curled up on the ground trembling, her face full of humiliation and fear.

Jiang Xuan stood up, his gaze sweeping over the group of silent, trembling disciples of the collateral branches. His voice was calm yet carried an undeniable authority.

"Go back and tell your elders that Xixin Peak now belongs to Jiang Xuan. If anyone dares to provoke us again, or tries anything funny, their fate will be... even worse than his!"

After saying that, he ignored the group and turned to walk away towards the Forbidden City.

The group of collateral relatives watched Jiang Xuan's departing figure, then looked at Jiang Yingzhen, who was almost unconscious on the ground.

Their faces turned ashen, and they felt a chill run through them; not one dared to utter a sound to stop them.

No one dared to pursue them.

Jiang Xuan's terrifying strength and ruthless methods completely shocked them.

Until Jiang Xuan's figure disappeared at the end of the road.

They suddenly realized what had happened and rushed forward to help Jiang Yingzhen, who had been humiliated and seriously injured, and had finally fainted from anger.

They fled in panic from the foot of Xixin Peak.

……

Jiang Xuan entered the Forbidden City alone.

The morning sun shines on this ancient and majestic city, gilding it with a golden glow.

The streets were wider than one could imagine, wide enough to accommodate dozens of carriages side by side.

The ground was covered with smooth, mirror-like lapis lazuli slabs.

The streets are lined with magnificent buildings of various styles, with flying eaves, brackets, carved beams and painted rafters.

It fully demonstrates the prosperity and grandeur of the imperial capital.

The streets were bustling with traffic and crowds of people.

What secretly alarmed Jiang Xuan was that the proportion of cultivators here was astonishingly high!

Looking around, cultivators at the Human Gang Realm can be seen everywhere.

There are quite a few cultivators at the Earthly Realm, and occasionally one can even sense the powerful spiritual energy fluctuations emanating from cultivators at the Heavenly Realm.

Even more remarkably, his keen senses could detect a few wisps of aura as obscure and unsettling as an abyss.

That was clearly a powerful expert who had entered the Cave Heaven Realm!
Despite the abundance of powerful figures in the city, no one dared to fly more than ten feet above the ground.

Jiang Xuan looked up and saw the sky below.

There were magnificent shuttles, engraved with intricate spiritual patterns, speeding along fixed spiritual pattern tracks, weaving between clouds and towering buildings.

That was the "spirit-patterned shuttle" unique to the Forbidden City, which was the main means of transportation within the city.

Because imperial law strictly forbids any cultivator or bird from flying over the Forbidden City, violators will be severely punished.

Besides the cultivators from his own country, Jiang Xuan also saw many figures with different appearances and attire.

There were monks wearing crimson robes, holding prayer beads, and with solemn appearances; they came from the distant Kingdom of Baoxiang.
There were warriors dressed in tight-fitting clothes, with long, narrow curved swords at their waists and sharp eyes; they were envoys from the Yunlan Kingdom.
There were even powerful individuals with dark skin, dressed in strange feathered clothing, and exuding a faint aura of savagery; they were said to be from the Witch-Barbarian Clan of the Dark Court.

These foreign envoys walked the streets of the Forbidden City, brushing past the imperial cultivators, creating a peculiar scene.

This also demonstrates the powerful foundation and inclusive spirit of the Ziyao Empire as the host country.

Jiang Xuan strolled leisurely through the bustling streets of the Forbidden City for about half an hour, feeling the grandeur and undercurrents of this imperial capital.

He may seem casual, but he has a clear goal.

They quickly learned the approximate location of "Lingjiu Residence" from a well-informed grocery store owner.

For the price of one gold coin, he hired a spirit-patterned chariot that looked fairly clean and tidy, and gave them his address.

Upon hearing the words "Lingjiu Residence," the coachman's face revealed a strange expression that was difficult to detect.

Without asking any further questions, he drove the imperial carriage, merged into the traffic, and headed towards the northwest of the city.

About an incense stick's time later, the imperial carriage left the bustling main road and entered a relatively dilapidated and noisy area.

The buildings here are much lower, and the streets are narrow and crowded.

The pedestrians were mostly ordinary people or low-level cultivators, a stark contrast to the core area they had seen before.

Finally, the imperial carriage stopped in the corner of a secluded alley.

"Sir, we have arrived at Lingjiu Residence."

The driver pointed to an inconspicuous two-story building deep in the alley.

Jiang Xuan paid the fare and got out of the car, then looked up.

The so-called "Lingjiu Residence" was indeed as ordinary as rumored, and even somewhat dilapidated.

The storefront is small, the signboard is old and the paint is peeling, and the entrance is deserted with hardly any customers.

This seemed somewhat out of place with Xiao Ke's aloof and reserved demeanor. (End of Chapter)