Starting as the young master of a medicine shop, he practiced swordsmanship for twenty years.

Chapter 324 Eating and taking something for free? Is there really such a good thing?!
Lu Xuan was taken aback upon hearing this, and his pupils contracted slightly.

He almost doubted whether he was hallucinating.
This Xuan Bird Cauldron, which is powerful enough to shake the world, is actually going to be handed over by Xia Mingyue?
“Fellow Daoist Xia…” His eyes darkened, and his voice carried a dangerous undertone, “I don’t like jokes.”

That's what he said, but Lu Xuan's fingertips unconsciously caressed the patterns on the Xuan Bird Cauldron in his palm.

The flawless Daoist aura emanating from the cauldron caused Lu Xuan's heart to tremble slightly.

Moreover, it was something that made Xia Mingyue willing to sacrifice a Heavenly Origin Immortal Artifact to ask for his help.

That would be an extremely dangerous thing.

"What exactly is it..." Lu Xuan suddenly took a step closer, his aura pressing down like a mountain. "Is it worth Fellow Daoist Xia entrusting me with his natal immortal artifact?"
-
Faced with Lu Xuan's cautious expression, Xia Mingyue's imposing imperial aura slowly faded away.

This is the Great Xia Empress, whom countless cultivators of the Great Xia Dynasty hold in utmost awe.

At this moment, her eyes sparkled, and a captivating smile gradually curved her lips.

That exquisite smile was breathtakingly beautiful.

Empress Xia Mingyue parted her lips slightly, her voice like pearls falling on a jade plate: "@It's just a small matter."

As she spoke, Xia Mingyue gently raised her fair wrist, her fingertips brushing against the shimmering surface of the Xuan Bird Cauldron, her voice extremely soft.

"I have long admired Immortal Lu, and I wish to offer this Heavenly Origin Immortal Artifact, the Mysterious Bird Cauldron, as a betrothal gift, seeking to unite with you in marriage."

Upon hearing this, the surrounding air seemed to freeze instantly.

Even with Lu Xuan's unwavering composure, he couldn't help but be shaken to his core.

His pupils contracted slightly, and a rare look of astonishment appeared on his usually composed face.

He stared intently at Xia Mingyue, his usually calm eyes now filled with shock.

"Marry you?"

"Should we still use the Black Bird Cauldron as the betrothal gift?"

“Fellow Daoist Xia…you…this…”

So you've reversed the Heavenly Stems here, haven't you!
Lu Xuan didn't mean to refuse; rather, this unexpected stroke of good fortune was simply too incredible.

A powerful and supreme ruler, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty and the Lord of the Earthly Realm.

She actually gave up this national treasure in order to marry him?
Lu Xuan was starting to question the meaning of life.

What is this, eating and taking things at the same time?
Is there really such a good thing?
Such a wonderful thing is something that even the most absurd dream wouldn't dare to imagine.

Lu Xuan carefully examined the stunningly beautiful empress before him, his gaze as if he were looking at an innocent young girl who knew nothing of the world.

The legendary naive and innocent girl!
At this moment, Lu Xuan really wanted to say something to Xia Mingyue.

No, do your family members know how wasteful you are?

If the Great Xia royal family were to find out about such a wasteful decision, they would probably mobilize the entire clan to hunt him down.

Although I am not afraid of this with my martial arts skills, I am still... a little apprehensive.

"Alas, Lu Zhenxian truly deserves to be called a martial arts prodigy who is rarely seen throughout the ages."

Unable to get a response from Lu Xuan, Xia Mingyue suddenly sighed softly, a complex look flashing in her beautiful eyes.

"Even my jokes cannot escape your discerning eyes."

Whether this statement is true or false, only the Empress herself probably knows the truth.

The smile on Xia Mingyue's face was fleeting, and in an instant, she regained her aloof and dignified demeanor.

The icy expression on her face had completely lost any trace of the tenderness she had shown moments before.

"But the gift of the Black Bird Cauldron is by no means a joke."

"To be honest, the current Great Xia royal family is no longer capable of protecting this Black Bird Cauldron."

Xia Mingyue's voice lowered slightly.

"Every man is innocent, but he is guilty of carrying a jade."

"The news of the Mysterious Bird Cauldron's appearance has already spread throughout the Heavenly Martial Realm."

"The demon races of the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain in the Western Regions, and the various forces of the Immortal Inquiry Continent in the Eastern Regions..."

A cold glint flashed in Xia Mingyue's eyes. "They are probably already lurking around Tiandu, waiting for me to show myself so they can seize it at any cost."

Xia Mingyue suddenly raised her eyes, her gaze as clear as autumn water looking straight into Lu Xuan's eyes.

"With Lu Zhenxian's cultivation level, surely he can sense those auras lurking throughout Tiandu?"

"Those people are trying to force me to show myself and seize the Heavenly Origin Immortal Artifact, the Mysterious Bird Cauldron!"

"Neither I nor the entire Great Xia royal family can protect the Xuan Bird Cauldron."

"Rather than let the Black Bird Cauldron fall into the hands of others..."

After a pause, Xia Mingyue's lips curled up slightly, revealing a resolute smile.

"Then why not do a favor and give this Xuan Bird Cauldron to Immortal Lu?"

.........

Only now did Lu Xuan understand Xia Mingyue's true intentions.

Lu Xuan couldn't help but sigh with self-deprecation.

Just now, he really thought that good fortune had fallen from the sky and that such a good thing would fall on his head for no reason.

But then I thought, as the empress of a dynasty, how could Xia Mingyue be like an ordinary woman like Rong, indulging in romantic love?

"I see."

Lu Xuan lightly smoothed his sleeve, his expression regaining its usual composure. "Since Fellow Daoist Xia is concerned about this matter, then I, Lu, will naturally grant your request."

Lu Xuan didn't take Xia Mingyue's words about those forces secretly coveting the Xuan Bird Cauldron seriously at all.

Whether it's the demons of Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain or the major powers of the Immortal Continent.

In this vast world, only an old monster above the level of Earthly Venerable Realm Lord would personally arrive.

Otherwise, no matter who the other party is, they are nothing but clay chickens and earthen dogs in front of Lu Xuan.

Strange things are happening in Tiandu!
Suddenly, nine dark, ethereal bird shadows soared into the sky from the depths of the palace.

That was the black tail feathers of the phantom bird spreading its wings, leaving shocking cracks in the clouds.

The ancient Daoist charms entwined around the wings shimmered with a deep black light.

Each flap of its wings caused a spatial tremor, stirring the gale-force winds above the heavens into vortexes.

The spiritual energy within a radius of a thousand miles surged wildly, forming nine visible rivers of spiritual energy in the sky, converging towards the illusory image of the black bird.

And so, the nine enormous phantom images of black birds shrouded the entire imperial city in shadow.

"This is.…."

"The Celestial Artifact, the Mysterious Bird Cauldron, has appeared!"

"Stop it!"

At the critical moment, the martial arts experts lurking in various parts of Tiandu all changed color.

In an instant, hundreds of terrifying auras erupted from all directions of Tiandu, transforming into dazzling streaks of light that rushed straight toward the imperial palace.

Beneath the imperial city walls, some of those with weaker cultivation levels trembled under the immense pressure, finding it difficult even to stand.

"Quickly report to the Ancestor!"

"We must never allow the immortal artifact, the Mystic Bird Cauldron, to fall into the hands of others!"

In the blink of an eye, the sky above the palace was completely surrounded by powerful figures from all sides.

Each martial artist standing in mid-air exuded a suffocating aura of power.

The weakest among them, yet a rare Divine Palace Realm True Person!
In an instant, the sky was torn apart like a curtain by sharp claws!
"The Black Bird Cauldron has appeared!"

On the Star-Picking Tower on the west side of the imperial city, the compass in the hand of an old man with a white beard shattered with a "crack," and his cloudy eyes suddenly flashed with a sharp light.

"Tens of thousands of years have passed... and this celestial artifact has finally... reappeared in the world."

Before the white-bearded old man had even finished speaking, the entire capital city was already in an uproar.

From the Western Regions, the demonic clouds of Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain rolled in, carrying a pungent, fishy wind, and countless phantoms of demonic beasts could be vaguely seen roaring within the clouds.

On the eastern horizon, martial artists from the Immortal Continent tread upon azure light, their sharp escape beams shredding away the clouds in their path.

Waves of energy tearing through the void followed one after another, and the undisguised pressure of the Void Realm experts was as tangible as a physical entity.

Before long, cracks began to appear in the outer walls of the imperial city, and small stones began to fall.

"boom--"

In the blink of an eye, hundreds more streaks of light arrived above the palace almost simultaneously.

These tyrants, who usually ruled over their territories, now had flames of greed burning in their eyes. A middle-aged man in crimson armor suddenly crushed the jade talisman in his hand and roared, "Quickly summon the Ancestor from seclusion!"

"We, the Flame Heaven Valley, are determined to seize this opportunity!"

Just as tensions were running high, a deafening thunderclap suddenly resounded from the heavens.

The entire sky seemed to be submerged in a purple sea of ​​lightning, and a giant face covered with lightning patterns slowly emerged.

Those enormous eyes, formed from pure purple lightning, swept across the area below.

Wherever that gaze fell, even the invisible space itself rippled with scorched, distorted waves.

"A bunch of ants dare to covet the Heavenly Treasure?"

"Heavenly Purple Lightning!"

"It's the Purple Cloud Ancestor of the Heavenly Cloud Sect!"

In mid-air, a cultivator in brocade robes stood with a deathly pale face. "Wasn't this person already in seclusion ten thousand years ago?"

"I never expected that he would also come to compete for the Heavenly Origin Immortal Artifact, the Mysterious Bird Cauldron!"

However, before everyone could recover from the shock,

A sudden, explosive roar, like a thunderbolt from the heavens, shook the entire world!

"roll--!!"

The voice of the Purple Cloud Ancestor carried immense pressure, as if the Thunder God had descended.

In an instant, hundreds of experts at the Divine Palace Realm and Void Realm below groaned in unison and spat out blood!

Some people were horrified to discover that their divine palace and divine thoughts, which they had painstakingly cultivated for thousands of years, had been destroyed.

Under the angry roar of the Purple Cloud Ancestor, it was as if struck by a heavy hammer, shattering inch by inch!

"If you don't disappear, you're dead!"

The second voice of the Purple Cloud Ancestor followed immediately, even more violent than the first.

It was like the mighty power of heaven, the wrath of the heavens, that even the void was shaken open with fine cracks.

Some of those with weaker cultivation levels bled from all seven orifices on the spot, and their Void Realm cultivation nearly collapsed!
Even worse, their divine palaces shattered instantly, their physical bodies cracked, and they nearly exploded and died on the spot!

"This...this is the pressure of a fully-fledged Earthly Venerable Realm Lord!"

"Disciples of Mingxian Sect, listen to my command!"

An elderly man with white hair and a youthful face suddenly roared, his voice like the clanging of metal, particularly jarring in the chaotic void.

His once rosy face was now completely drained of color, and his withered fingers gripped the breastplate tightly.

The protective treasure that belonged to the old man was now covered with spiderweb-like cracks.

"The entire clan must immediately retreat three thousand miles!"

The old man's voice was filled with unprecedented panic, his cloudy eyes fixed on the increasingly solid and terrifying figure in the sky, "Chi Ze—"

"Death is certain!"

Everyone was terrified and dared not linger.
They all transformed into streaks of light and retreated rapidly, fearing that if they were even half a step slower, they would be reduced to ashes under this overwhelming power!
In an instant, a glimmer of blue light suddenly appeared on the eastern horizon.

The faint blue light, initially no bigger than a grain of rice, instantly transformed into a dazzling sword rainbow that stretched across the heavens and earth.

Wherever it passed, the clouds were torn apart, carving a vacuum sword mark across the sky that stretched for hundreds of miles.

"Zheng——"

Before the sword's cry arrives, its intent precedes it.

The warriors throughout the imperial city felt as if they had fallen into an ice cellar, their swords trembling violently and uncontrollably.

Those with low cultivation levels knelt on the ground, blood seeping from their seven orifices.

Even experts at the Void Realm felt a stinging pain in their souls, as if thousands of sharp swords were pressed against their brows.

"Old Ghost Qingming!"

The Purple Cloud Ancestor's thunderous avatar suddenly opened its eyes, purple lightning surging within them. "You dare to challenge me?"

"boom--"

The mighty thunder transformed into a net that stretched across the heavens and the earth, each bolt of purple lightning as thick as a mountain.

The moment the lightning net collided with the azure sword rainbow, the entire world fell silent.

The blinding light eclipsed the sun and moon, and the terrifying shockwave swept away all the clouds within a hundred miles.

As the light dimmed, everyone was horrified to discover what had happened.

The azure sword rainbow advanced inch by inch within the lightning net, and terrifying spatial cracks burst forth from the sword tip.

The Purple Cloud Ancestor finally changed color, clenched his palms together, and thrust them out, causing nine Purple Cloud Divine Lightning bolts as thick as water buckets to descend from the heavens.

"Shatter for me!"

The nine thunderbolts merged into one, transforming into a ferocious thunder dragon that opened its blood-red maw and bit down hard on the sword rainbow.

Two devastating forces locked in a stalemate in mid-air, their residual force leveling the magnificent mansion below.

Immediately afterwards, these two world-destroying forces clashed, and time seemed to stand still for a moment—

"boom!!!"

A dazzling white light erupted, and a terrifying shockwave spread out in a ring.

Even the buildings surrounding the imperial city collapsed like sand dunes, and three feet of ground were shaved off.

The protective shields hastily erected by countless cultivators shattered one after another, and those with weaker cultivation levels were directly turned into blood mist in the aftershocks!
After this attack, the two peerless experts stopped simultaneously, their gazes shooting towards the two sides of the sky like lightning.

On the western horizon, dark, ominous clouds rolled and churned.

Tens of thousands of ferocious monsters stood in the air, their demonic aura covering the sky and staining half the sky blood red.

The five demon ancestors at the head of the group each have a different form.

There is a purple-gold centipede with six wings on its back, and a crimson flame demon dragon with nine heads and eighteen eyes.

But the most eye-catching figure was one that Lu Xuan knew all too well—

"Feather Emperor, you old bird!" The thunderous dharma form of the Purple Cloud Ancestor let out a deafening sneer.

"After all these years, you're still as annoying as ever!"

In the eastern void, three figures appeared and disappeared, seemingly blending into the heavens and earth.

Unless they deliberately reveal their presence, no one would be able to detect their existence.

The white-robed old man in the middle held a whisk, and mysterious ripples appeared in the void beneath his feet.

The woman in purple on the left is shrouded in a dreamlike halo, making it impossible to see her true appearance.

The red-haired, burly man on the right exudes a scorching aura, as if the heavens and the seas were being boiled.

Kong Ming Sect Master Ming Xuzi!
Tianhuan Pavilion Master's Light Beauty Cream!
Flame Valley Master Flame Valley!

The Azure Sword Master stood with his hands behind his back, his azure sword robe fluttering even without wind. "The three of you have arrived just in time."

At this moment, the Feather Emperor Ancestor unfolded all eighteen wings at the same time, each feather shimmering with purple-gold holy flames.

"Today, the Myriad Beasts Mountain is determined to possess this Black Bird Cauldron!"

Mingxuzi stroked his long beard and smiled without saying a word.

With a light lift of her jade-like hand, countless phantoms appeared in the sky.

Yan Gu snorted coldly, and a huge hole was burned into the void beneath his feet.

A tense standoff ensued, the world seemed to be gripped by a chilling atmosphere!

"how?"

A playful voice suddenly broke the deadlock.

"It seems you are all quite interested in my possessions?"

The sound wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.

The crowd below the imperial city turned around in horror, only to see a tall, slender figure standing in mid-air directly above the palace.

Lu Xuan's long black robe fluttered in the wind, a faint smile playing on his lips as he toyed with a miniature black cauldron between his fingers.

Upon seeing Lu Xuan, the Feather Emperor Ancestor instantly unleashed a torrent of purple-gold holy flames from his demonic eyes.

"It's you again, you damned human!"

(End of this chapter)