Chapter 491: Emperor Xixi Returns Home in Splendid Attire to Qianyuan; Ancestral Ceremony Nears as the Eight‑Year‑Old Proves a Martia

Fang Hanshu's expression remained solemn, but his mind was somewhat absent.

How many Binding Spirits has Li Che actually placed outside?

How many schemes has he set up?!

Lian Gonggong is a favorite of the emperor, arguably one of the Dàjǐng Emperor's most trusted men, his trust even surpasses that of the empress and the fox‑charming concubine Su Da.

Yet now this Lian Gonggong is kneeling before Li Che with reverence and fervor, his respect exceeding even that shown to the emperor.

Fang Hanshu couldn't help but marvel, praising Li Che's methods.

As a scholar, Fang Hanshu doesn't really like brute‑force fighting; he prefers careful planning, moving piece by piece.

Although Li Che is a peerless Martial Immortal, he lacks the rash vigor of ordinary warriors.

His ability to set up strategies and employ tactics, rarely resorting to reckless killing, is something Fang Hanshu greatly admires.

"Lord!"

Lian Gonggong knelt on the ground, repeatedly bowing his head.

As a eunuch, licking the sovereign to show his unique loyalty is a skill etched into his bones, hardly a difficulty.

"A venerable of the Dark Heavenly Court, at the Second Disaster Third Tribulation realm, has come seeking the emperor, wishing to borrow the Gathering Immortal Mystic Flag."

Lian Gonggong said reverently.

Li Che's body shimmered, as if glowing; after breaking through to Martial Immortal, his condition was unprecedentedly excellent.

Fang Hanshu heard this, his eyes narrowing: "Borrow the Gathering Immortal Flag?"

"The motive isn't pure; it seems the Ghost Emperor's death‑yet‑undying stance has forced them into a corner,"

Fang Hanshu said in a deep voice.

"The three great Supremes of Qitian Nei Cheng are also restless; they aim to fully control Qitian City, and to do so they must eliminate the mortal Martial Immortal Ghost Emperor... Whether the Ghost Emperor will burn out or not, they dare not gamble any longer. The strong ones of the Divine Faction within Nei Cheng also hesitate, fearing the Ghost Emperor's trap."

"Thus, borrowing the Gathering Immortal Flag from Emperor Dàjǐng likely means the Supreme intends to act personally!"

Li Che nodded: "The Gathering Immortal Flag can shield against Heaven and Earth's will sensing... The Supreme can indeed act, just as the Great Sage once wielded the flag to break out of Nei Cheng and strike the few hidden strongmen in the minor heavens..."

Even Li Che hadn't expected the Xuanzhen Supreme of Qitian Nei Cheng to be so determined, even demanding the flag from the emperor...

"Did they come via the Strange Rift path?" Li Che asked.

Lian Gonggong hurriedly nodded: "The Dark Heavenly Court's Supreme acted, tearing the eerie mist and opening a passage that connects to Qitian Nei Cheng..."

"Now, within the Strange Rift, Qitian Nei Cheng's location is no longer a secret."

Li Che heard this, his brows furrowing.

That is truly dangerous; the Supreme may be fine, but after Fang Hanshu devoured the Binding Spirits, he is already close to the Supreme tier.

In other words, the Underworld also possesses Supreme combat power...

However, if the Strange Rift passage is opened and revived deities descend, it will be a serious problem.

Now Li Che, though a Martial Immortal, has no chance against a true deity.

Even a newly revived deity with only Supreme strength, not fully restored, would be hard for Li Che to handle...

It's like Qitian: merely revived, having devoured the blood and flesh of several Second Disaster venerables, it can crush the Supreme—a level of crushing and surpassing.

It's like a university student falling into kindergarten and solving kindergarten problems—easy and carefree.

Li Che fell into contemplation, standing with his hands behind his back; his ink‑clad shirt embroidered with golden lotuses fluttered in the wind raised by the torrential rain, his eyes flashing with brilliant gold.

His thoughts naturally refused to let the Gathering Immortal Flag fall into the hands of the Supremes in Qitian Nei Cheng; if the three great Supremes break out, Li Che would indeed feel strained and might have to temporarily abandon Qitian City.

After all, Li Che still needs time to grow; becoming stronger cannot happen overnight.

Fortunately, the pieces he placed earlier are now at work, revealing the emperor's and the Dark Heavenly Court Supreme's plans and deals.

"The emperor has ordered this old servant to take the Gathering Immortal Mystic Flag to Qitian Nei Cheng..."

"The old servant holds a divine talisman; if the situation turns wrong, crushing the talisman will return the Gathering Immortal Mystic Flag to Dàjǐng Imperial Tomb," Lian Gonggong said, bowing.

The Gathering Immortal Flag is evidently very important to the emperor; even after agreeing with the Divine Faction Supremes, he still needs a trusted aide to carry it, fearing the other side would keep it.

And as the emperor's confidant, if the opponent truly intends to kill Lian Gonggong, he would crush the talisman before dying...

This heavy trust even moved Li Che.

Fang Hanshu's eyes also narrowed slightly: "Ah Che, you intend to... seize the flag?"

If the Gathering Immortal Flag truly falls into Xuanzhen Supreme's hands, that Supreme could break out of Qitian Nei Cheng, shielding Heaven and Earth's will, posing a huge threat.

A Supreme's power is terrifying; once they break out, the entire layout of Qitian City to date would vanish and collapse completely.

The newly rebuilt Qitian Temple would have no foundation and collapse again.

If Qitian Temple collapses again, Fang Hanshu would find it hard to rebuild it.

Because of Qitian Temple's name, many cultivators have flocked there in recent months, allowing it to grow rapidly and regain a stature comparable to a great sect.

All this stems from Qitian Temple's prestige; if it perishes once, its fame is lost, and re‑gathering would be as hard as scaling the heavens.

"We still need time... so we cannot let the Gathering Immortal Flag fall into Xuanzhen Supreme's hands."

Li Che said gravely.

"Therefore, seizing the flag... is imperative."

"Do you need me to act?" Fang Hanshu asked. His cultivation and combat power are impressive now, being a half‑step Supreme, just one chance away from a true Supreme.

Even though he devoured two Second Disaster Third Tribulation venerable Binding Spirits, accelerating his breakthrough to Supreme, he still needs some time.

Whoosh—

The torrential rain fell like pillars, pouring from the dark sky onto the black tiles, splashing in a dreamlike haze.

The room fell into silence.

Suddenly, Li Che looked at Fang Hanshu, as if recalling something.

"Old Fang, what exactly is the Hunting God Pavilion?"

"Is it friendly with the Jail Lotus Faction?"

Li Che recalled another identity of Fang Hanshu: he was a hunter god assassin of the Hunter God Hall, which lies within the Mysterious Abyss and is an extremely secretive force, not weaker than the various god camps, and is quite powerful and strange.

Fang Hanshu, upon hearing this, sighed for a moment and said, "Hunter God Hall… actually has no dealings with any of the major god camps. Its goal is to hunt divine spirits; whether revived temple gods or ancient divine spirits, they are all targets for its hunts."

"Hunting divine spirits? Would they have thoughts about the Prison Lotus Daughter?" Li Che raised an eyebrow and asked.

This faction is indeed very mysterious—more so than the Corpse God Sect, which is backed by the divine Golden Cicada of the Western Buddhist lands. As for who stands behind the Hunter God Hall, Li Che knows nothing.

Even Fang Hanshu knows little; after entering the Mysterious Abyss he was guided and joined the Hunter God Hall, because the Hall offers many cultivation resources for exchange.

Fang Hanshu took a deep breath and confessed, "The Prison Lotus camp… the Hunter God Hall is naturally watching it as well. Its target is the gods within the Mysterious Abyss camp, which naturally includes the Prison Lotus Daughter."

Li Che heard this and instantly understood, "Since our paths differ, it will be easy…."

"Old Fang, you should still be wearing that hunter assassin mask, right?"

Fang Hanshu immediately grasped Li Che's intention; he was planning to shift the blame onto the Hunter God Hall…

It isn't impossible, after all.

"Ah Che, but if we do that… we might offend a force like the Hunter God Hall, which is not weaker than the god camps." Fang Hanshu's handsome beard floated amid the rain‑laden gusts.

Li Che smiled lightly, "Back when our family traveled from the Golden Light Mansion to Qianyuan Dao City… we were once targeted by a Hunter God Hall assassin."

"So, offending or not offending makes little difference to me."

Fang Hanshu stroked his beard, pondered briefly, then smiled brightly, "That's true… the Hunter God Hall isn't new to taking the blame, so it doesn't matter."

"We still don't know the route the Dark Heavenly Court has opened in the Mysterious Abyss that leads directly to Qitian Cheng, but it's not a big issue… Old Lian just follows the plan."

"Here."

Lian Gonggong agreed, offered a few compliments, then dissolved into black mist.

Between the towers, only Li Che and Fang Hanshu remained.

"Taking action is inevitable… we are still too weak and must keep growing stronger, so we need to buy time," Li Che exhaled.

Fang Hanshu nodded, his expression very solemn.

"Over at the Third Prince's Guiyi Miao, because Qitian Cheng revived early, this operation… among the god camps, a true divine spirit might descend, and even if not, a quasi‑god taking a step toward the divine spirit realm could appear…"

Quasi‑god and true divine spirit…

Li Che's eyes lowered slightly; even as a Supreme, he finds it hard to contend, let alone with divine spirits…

Still not enough trump cards.

Especially now, his knowledge of divine spirits is too scant.

What exactly is the realm of a divine spirit?

Every realm has its hierarchies, and divine spirits are no different.

To obtain a safe environment where one can quietly watch his daughter grow is a heavy and distant road.

…

…

Fang Hanshu replied to Lu Taibai's letter, explicitly stating that Li Che will bring Xixi back to Qianyuan and inherit the sect leader's position, reassuring him.

Li Che naturally had no reason to refuse Lu Taibai's request; their family had once been protected by the Qianyuan Divine Sect, and they could not abandon it simply because Xixi has grown stronger.

Lu Taibai has always cultivated Xixi as a young sect leader, and the disciples of the Qianyuan Divine Sect also recognize Xixi as such.

However, Li Che did not set out immediately to bring Xixi back to the Qianyuan Divine Sect.

He planned to wait a while longer, because Xixi's cultivation has now reached a critical point.

After bidding farewell to Fang Hanshu, Li Che plunged into the downpour; the rain fell beside him, and an invisible field separated him.

He arrived in a courtyard of Wai Cheng.

The courtyard was vast, covering a huge area; although the outer Qitian Cheng is officially governed by Fang Hanshu, in reality Li Che is the Supreme Emperor of Qitian Cheng.

Providing his family with such a sprawling courtyard is nothing untoward.

Inside the courtyard, Qi and blood churned; a gigantic Qi‑Blood furnace blazed, and the rain falling from the sky evaporated entirely over the scorching furnace, the heat rising like fog, constantly surging!

Within the furnace stood Xixi's form; the eight‑year‑old girl's body had become much more slender than before.

Her little belly tightened slightly, and her round chubby cheeks grew a bit, exuding innocence and cuteness.

Two sky‑reaching braids bound with red rope, a red belly‑band, and a black shirt embroidered with golden lotus patterns—sewn by Zhang Ya for Xixi, matching the style of Li Che's golden lotus black shirt.

Xixi stood barefoot, clenched her five fingers, and grasped the Purple Flame Serpent Spear; she continuously shifted her form within the courtyard, the spear's blade constantly changing, purple flame rolling like a dragon!

The Prison Lotus Wind‑Fire Golden Light Wheel surged forth, lifting her body toward the heavens.

The Prison Lotus's undying Mixed Heaven Silk also unfurled, spiraling rapidly around Xixi like a living jade dragon!

Xixi herself seemed to become scorching flame, her Qi and blood boiling!

Buzz—

Hovering high above, Xixi opened her mouth and expelled a massive torrent of heat!

Gripping the Purple Flame Serpent Spear, she spread her arms; her muscles trembled and cracked, sounding as if ten thousand thunders roared together!

Her flesh seemed to glow, countless vital essence bursting from her body!

Bang—!!

Like a meteor she plummeted, and after striking the ground, countless heat waves radiated from her body like a raging storm!

She gripped a long spear and began a martial spear routine, countless Gang Qi bursting from the spear like waves!

Above Xixi's head and shoulders, Gang Qi intertwined, gradually coalescing into flower shapes that spun, emitting a profound aura that vibrated the air!

Three flowers blooming atop signify a supreme Grandmaster!

Xixi wielded the long spear, the terrifying power within her roiled and surged, continually rising, resonating fiercely with her spirit; the three flowers trembled, and the Prison Lotus sigil on her brow seemed about to ignite!

"Father!"

Xixi's aura settled, and she saw Li Che walking toward her through the downpour.

She shouted excitedly, dragging the spear with one hand, leaping swiftly toward Li Che's direction!

Then with a flying pounce, snarling and clawing, it lunged at Li Che, crashing into his arms.

Eight‑year‑old Xixi clung to Li Che, her face blooming with a smile, and she couldn't help laughing foolishly.

This little girl especially loves to laugh; the older she gets, the more she loves to laugh.

She laughs when eating, jokes with the dog, and even laughs while practicing cultivation with her companions…

And her laughter is also very hearty.

She likes to start with "Wa", then go on with endless "hahaha", full of vigor and grandeur!

"Father! Xixi has already reached the threshold of the Martial Saint! She's about to break through to Martial Saint soon!"

Xixi's eyes glittered brightly, as if plucked stars were set within them.

Li Che couldn't help exclaiming that this little girl has such excellent conditions.

For over a year, the boss has constantly fed Xixi; perhaps because Xixi has grown much, the boss's provisions have become heavier…

The feed consists of things like demon king meat, demon god meat, and some mysterious, qi‑radiant treasure pills sourced from unknown places, stewed into medicinal dishes for Xixi.

Xixi has been raised plump and white, and her martial cultivation has advanced extremely quickly!

Her mortal body is immensely strong, with abundant qi surging endlessly.

Perhaps the boss also knows that for Xixi to endure the Yulin curse, her mortal body must be strong, so he continuously supplies her with nourishing items that enhance the flesh.

He has refined Xixi's mortal body to an exceptional degree.

Li Che doesn't get that treatment; when he tries to mooch food and drink, the boss sneers and sends him away.

Of course, the boss isn't that heartless; he still leaves a spot for Li Che—so long as Li Che brings good ingredients, he's willing to wield the knife and cook.

So, this year Li Che has also managed to eat good food.

Of course, besides eating and drinking, Li Che hasn't been idle; in his spare time, he uses his Martial Immortal will to cleanse Xixi's mortal body, and with his own golden qi and blood he refines her physique, guiding her flesh toward a True Martial body.

And additionally, using the Dream Celestial Master Dao Fruit, he enters Xixi's dream, allowing her to cultivate within the dream and gain the feedback amplification of the Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit!

However, because she is a daughter of Yulin, her divinity cannot be fully shielded; unlike Li Che, Xixi cannot achieve a Martial Immortal golden body, so she can only follow the unparalleled True Martial path.

Although the True Martial Path is a secret unpassed down by the True Martial Divine Sect, for Li Che, who has now stepped onto the Martial Immortal path, it poses no difficulty at all.

Nevertheless, even so, Li Che is amazed by Xixi's rapid advancement in cultivation.

Eight years old, already a top Three‑Flower Grandmaster…

Besides the influence of the Martial Immortal bloodline, the innate talent from being a Yulin daughter is also gradually blossoming!

The torrential rain fell like pillars; the father and daughter did not linger in the courtyard and returned indoors.

Jin Tai Sui, Jin Mao Xun, Yun E, Zhou Peng and others had been waiting, with sliced cold watermelon ready for Xixi to quench her thirst after her training.

Li Che helped himself to a piece of his daughter's watermelon, then relayed the news that Lu Taibai had invited her to return and inherit the Patriarch's seat.

Upon hearing that, Xixi's eyes instantly lit up.

She excitedly bounced around the whole house! She has already begun to look forward to the scene of Xixi Great Emperor puffing out her little belly, seizing the Patriarch's Taibai Hall, and has even decided what imposing name to take after taking down the plaque of Taibai Peak's Taibai Hall.

With Xixi's succession as Patriarch, the main peak Taibai Peak will be renamed Xixi Emperor Peak! The palace will become Xixi Emperor Hall!

Invincible!

Xixi's eyes glittered, her face flushed, so excited that every little bit of flesh trembled!

Watching Xixi already daydreaming about becoming the Divine Sect Patriarch, Li Che shook his head.

He patted Xixi's head.

"Little girl, the Patriarch's seat represents not only status but also responsibility… Are you ready to shoulder the duties of a sect leader?"

Li Che said softly.

However, he did not ask Xixi for an answer.

In the future, Xixi will eventually understand the responsibilities of being a Patriarch.

Cicadas sang throughout the summer, and the autumn waters began to ripple.

An autumn rain brought with it a chill.

Since learning that the emperor was willing to lend the Gathering Immortal Banner to the Dark Heavenly Court's Supreme, Li Che asked Lord Lian to pay extra attention.

However, unexpectedly, the emperor did not immediately lend the Gathering Immortal Mysterious Banner, leaving the envoy of the Mysterious True Supreme waiting.

No one wrong one song one release one inside one contain one at one look!

Li Che was not anxious, remaining calm; if the emperor simply refused to lend the Gathering Immortal Banner, that would be fine, but if he truly lent it to the Mysterious True Supreme, intending to aid the Supreme in breaking through Qitian Nei Cheng, slaying the mortal Martial Immortal Ghost Emperor, then Li Che's unceremonious actions would be understandable.

The autumn rain pattered, and the maple trees in the courtyard had already begun to brew a fiery red hue.

Li Che, holding Zhang Ya's hand, left the courtyard and leisurely strolled along the riverside within Qitian Wai Cheng.

The rain fell onto the calm river surface, creating rippling circles of diffused waves.

Zhang Ya's eyes were full of tenderness, very content.

"Sir… such days are truly wonderful."

She linked her arm with Li Che's, gazing at the rippling circles on the river, and spoke softly.

Li Che smiled, "The years are tranquil and beautiful; who wouldn't envy? Your husband… am striving to fight for a tranquil life."

"Sir, you've worked hard…" Zhang Ya pressed her cheek against Li Che's arm, her eyes a bit dazed, like a dream.

Unwittingly, their daughter turned eight, and their family, without realizing it, had grown to a height she never even dared dream of.

"Patriarch Taibai wrote again urging us; in a couple of days we'll set out back to Qianyuan."

Li Che patted Zhang Ya's head.

"Hmm."

"Unwittingly, our Xixi is about to become Patriarch."

Three days later.

The autumn wind whistled, completely reddening the maple trees in the courtyard.

The fiery red maple leaves rustled, as if ablaze.

In the courtyard.

Li Che slowly opened his eyes, the mud ball at his forehead quivered slightly, the celestial chessboard leapt up and expanded in an instant, soaring into the clouds.

Before his eyes, golden light flowed slowly, intertwining like mist.

【Dao Fruit: Chess Saint (lv6, 98%)】

In just over a year, the maturity of the Chess Saint Dao Fruit increased extremely slowly; without special circumstances, its natural growth was indeed very sluggish.

Dao Fruits that had reached the lv7 rank had almost no growth.

Li Che couldn't help but sigh, no wonder the masters of those Dao Fruits were stuck at the eighth metamorphosis, unable to break through to the ninth.

Li Che thought that perhaps his own future would also be trapped at this bottleneck.

Xixi still could not break through the Martial Saint realm; it seemed she was just missing that one sliver of opportunity.

Xixi felt regretful and gloomy.

She was certain her cultivation was sufficient, yet she was still short by a thread.

Li Che, however, knew the reason and informed Xixi that she would soon set out to return to the Qianyuan Divine Sect to inherit the sect leader's position.

Upon hearing this, Xixi couldn't help but smile, casting all her worries aside.

She was even delighted when Fang Hanshu called her to go study.

"Goodbye, Great Elder, Xixi is returning to the Qianyuan Divine Sect!"

Qitian Wai Cheng, at the city gate.

Xixi cheerfully waved at Fang Hanshu.

Fang Hanshu wore a slightly indulgent smile, seeing the girl so happy, he no longer called her the Master of the Demon Cave.

This time returning to the Qianyuan Divine Sect, it wasn't only Li Che's family; Li Qingshan, Mu Popo, and others also went back together.

Li Che didn't intend to leisurely tour the mountains and rivers before returning; with a thought, Mo City opened, gathering Xixi and the others inside.

Then, Li Che raised his hand, tapped his forehead, and the celestial chessboard expanded instantly to its limit.

Flying Star Relocation!

Li Che took a step, and his whole being seemed to traverse time and space...

Boom—

It seemed colored radiance streamed rapidly around, like a rotating galaxy!

Mighty qi and blood surged, Li Che's body glowed, his Martial Immortal golden body rang like a bell, as if every pore emitted dazzling brilliance!

Between heaven and earth, vital energy circulated; Li Che's pores expanded, ingesting the essence of heaven and earth, yet the process was not pure and required shielding to block divinity.

Otherwise, if divinity were ingested, it would corrupt the purity of the Martial Immortal golden body.

Buzz—

After only two or three Flying Star Relocations, Li Che had already left Qitian Cheng and returned to the Lingnan Dao region.

One more step, and he reached beyond the Qianyuan Dao City.

A raging wind howled as Li Che stood on the official road outside Qianyuan Dao City; the trees on both sides were dense, and due to the geographic difference, even in autumn these towering trees remained lush and verdant.

"Huh—"

"Sigh—"

One exhale, one inhale, drawing in and expelling breath.

Li Che's whole body trembled, his breath contracted, golden light flowed before his eyes, and he gave a quick glance.

Using Flying Star Relocation in this way, the Chess Saint Dao Fruit's maturity still showed little change.

Hmm?

Li Che's eyes brightened slightly.

【Dao Fruit: Temporal-Spatial Golden Wheel (lv1, 10%)】

To Li Che's surprise, the Temporal-Spatial Golden Wheel, a Dao Fruit he had just obtained this year, had actually gained a slight increase in maturity.

Can Flying Star Relocation boost the maturity of this Temporal-Spatial Golden Wheel Dao Fruit?

Li Che was quite pleased.

However, the increase existed, but it was not much.

To raise it to the level of transformation, he still didn't know how long it would take.

The celestial chessboard hovered over Qianyuan Dao City, Li Che's eyebrows lifted slightly; within the city now, many powerful auras were concealed.

These auras were sealed to prevent detection by the will of heaven and earth.

Obviously, they were all heading toward the Mysterious Dao Manifested Saint Three-Eyed True Lord's Guiyi Miao...

The early revival of the Qitian Temple deity indeed brought considerable impact.

Meanwhile, over at Jinguang Residence, the situation was truly severe; all factions appeared, forcibly raising the divine concentration of that city to a magnitude even surpassing Qianyuan Dao City.

It gathered far too many strong masters!

But the problem was not serious.

Shaking his head, Li Che snapped his fingers, and instantly the people inside Mo City were released by him.

"Wow— already there?"

Xixi blinked.

Looking at the familiar city, Xixi's eyes flickered, she pressed her lips together, and her smile blossomed on her face.

At seven years old, she left Qianyuan for training.

Now, a little over eight years old, Xixi has returned to Qianyuan.

In the past year and a bit, Xixi has gone through so much, and increasingly misses the days in Qianyuan.

Buzz——!!!

Above the vaulted sky, sword lights rage and intertwine, ringing clangor.

Brilliant sword qi streaks across the heavens.

Lu Taibai's silver hair flies, his wide sleeves flutter, he steps on the sword light and approaches, his eyes blooming with a delighted smile.

"Hahaha! My beloved disciple, you finally returned!"

"But I missed my dead master!"

Lu Taibai bursts into laughter, his mirth echoing through the whole city.

In Qianyuan Dao City, many strong cultivators instinctively stir the Heaven-and-Earth Dao Souls, sensing a sweeping onslaught.

Daughter of the Prison Lotus!

Among them, many hidden strong ones from the various god camps narrowed their eyes, their Dao Souls rippling.

She actually returned to Qianyuan Dao City?!

Lu Taibai snorts coldly; the massive sword intent sweeps the city like a storm, and the probing Dao Souls from all sides retract.

Lu Taibai welcomes Li Che, Xixi and others back to the Qianyuan Divine Sect, with dazzling sword intent, supremely arrogant.

"There's no choice; Qianyuan Dao City now gathers too many strong figures from the major forces. The city can't lose its momentum... otherwise, if the momentum weakens, these powerful figures will climb up the pole."

Lu Taibai snorts.

Li Che nods; when firmness is needed, one must be firm—soft persimmons are always easy to manipulate.

Xixi's return to the Qianyuan Divine Sect instantly caused a huge sensation.

"Young sect leader, you're back!"

"Wahaha— Qianyuan Divine Sect companions, your Xixi Great Emperor has returned!"

The Qianyuan Divine Sect trembles continuously, and many disciples who were in seclusion burst out.

Lu Qingxuan, Yang Yi, Chi Chengyan, Zhuo Banxiang and other former fledgling dragons from the Dragon Hatchery scroll also emerged.

These fledgling dragons have now broken through to the Grand Master realm, each with a majestic bearing and soaring fighting spirit.

However, compared with Xixi, who has stepped onto the pinnacle of Grand Master, ignited the Three Flowers, and is challenging the Martial Saint, they naturally pale in comparison.

With Xixi's return, Lu Taibai also began preparing the Ancestral Succession Ceremony for Xixi to inherit the sect head position.

Lu Taibai gathers sword intent and darts out, sending a signal to the scouts he had long placed in the various divine sect cities and in Shendu, prompting them to deliver the pre‑prepared sword‑intent invitations, inviting the heads of all great divine sects to witness the ceremony.

After returning to the Qianyuan Divine Sect, it is unknown whether Xixi's mindset has transformed.

The Three Flowers pulse, and vital energy burns.

The entire Qianyuan Divine Sect is shaken; vital energy surges like tide, and the will of Heaven and Earth roars and trembles!

The Martial Saint bottleneck that had stalled Xixi for many days is broken, and Silk‑clad Return Home achieves a breakthrough.

Xixi does not waste this great opportunity!

With a single surge of spirit, fighting zeal high, amid a thunderclap...

She opens the Human Pill with force!

The eight‑year‑old girl officially challenges the Martial Saint!

……

……

Dàjǐng Shendu.

Imperial Palace Divine Hall.

Yunxiao Hall.

The emperor sits upright on the dragon throne, his bright yellow robe fluttering, his visage woven with divinity and Dao essence, his eyes filled with cold ruthlessness.

Boom—

Zhenmiao's Chief Inspector Si Yepeng raises his five fingers, clenching them, and blocks a sword light, a massive abyss‑like aura rising and falling.

He strides into the hall, unfolds the sword light, revealing the Ancestral Succession Ceremony invitation that Lu Taibai had prepared long ago.

The divine sect's Ancestral Succession Ceremony has always had the custom of inviting the royal family.

But the Qianyuan Divine Sect has already fallen out with the court, yet still invites the emperor to the ceremony; to the emperor, this is undoubtedly a provocation.

The emperor flicks his sleeve violently, a terrifying force erupting, instantly crushing Lu Taibai's sword intent to pieces!

After the sword intent is shattered, the lingering sword qi drifts like smoke, intertwining into a mocking "He" character.

The emperor couldn't help but sneer; he flicked his sleeve, shouted "Lian Gonggong", and left Yunxiao Hall.

He arrived at the Imperial Tomb.

With a fist of five fingers, a clanking mystical gathering flag fell into his hand.

The black‑robed venerable, seated cross‑legged within, slowly opened his eyes.

The emperor's bright yellow robe fluttered wildly.

"I have agreed, but after Xuan Zhen Supreme annihilated the Ghost Emperor, I need you to do a small favor for me."

"Kill! Kill Lu Taibai and take his head!"

"Help me destroy the Qianyuan Divine Sect!"

(End of chapter)