48 – A New Spiritual Artifact

【Next, you successfully joined the Sword Spirit Sect. Yuan Xia lingered around you for half a month, yet despite her efforts, you remained indifferent. Helpless, she eventually left. However, now lacking the interest to continue her training, she chose to return to the royal palace.】

【Due to Yuan Xia’s sensitive identity, to prevent any incidents on her way back, a Supreme Elder of the Sword Spirit Sect secretly escorted her.】

【On her way back to the palace, Yuan Xia was ambushed. Fortunately, with the Supreme Elder’s intervention and the Old Woman’s assistance, they killed the attackers, allowing her to escape death narrowly.】

【At this moment, Yuan Xia remembered your words, feeling a lingering fear and secretly grateful for coming to the Sword Spirit Sect with you. Otherwise, she might have died at the hands of villains. She secretly vowed to uncover the mastermind and eliminate them.】

【You also heard about Yuan Xia’s ambush but were surprised to learn that she survived thanks to the Supreme Elder’s secret intervention. You realized that a butterfly effect had occurred, unsure if it was a blessing or a curse.】

【However, you ultimately believed that as long as you stayed at the Sword Spirit Sect and as long as Bai Tianhong remained alive, major problems would not arise.】

【In the following years, Xia Yuan frequently wrote to you, never giving up on her intent to win you over.】

【In the year 486 of the Great Xia calendar, Great Xia experienced turmoil. The Third Prince was killed in the capital by the Ninth Princess, Xia Yuan, shocking everyone. Her strength and resolute style left people in awe.】

【The actions of the Ninth Princess Xia Yuan caused fear among other princes and princesses, who collectively petitioned the old emperor to punish her, arguing that she was too ruthless for killing her own brother without reason.】

【Facing the collective petition from the princes and princesses, the Ninth Princess responded forcefully, directly presenting evidence of the Third Prince’s multiple assassination attempts on her. The court fell silent. Eventually, the old emperor backed the Ninth Princess, making it clear to the court officials who the true successor was, leading them to realign their loyalties quickly.】

【You heard about the Ninth Princess Xia Yuan’s actions and couldn’t help but shake your head, realizing how domineering she was. Truly, one can’t judge a person by their appearance.】

【In the year 487 of the Great Xia calendar, you and Bai Tianhong appeared in the Black Wind Forest, killing the Seventh-Level Demonic Beast Silver Moon Wolf, preventing a beast tide outbreak.】

【At the end of the year 492 of the Great Xia calendar, the old emperor abdicated, and the Ninth Princess Xia Yuan ascended to the throne, becoming a legendary Empress, shaking the Great Xia. In the same year, your cultivation reached the second level of the Spirit Origin Realm.】

【At the beginning of the year 493 of the Great Xia calendar, the Xia Kingdom fell into chaos. Bandits ran rampant, and uprisings began across the land, causing misery among the common people. Empress Xia Yuan was enraged and swiftly dispatched the army to suppress them.】

【In the same year, she started implementing reforms, introducing a series of policies beneficial to the country and people, executing countless corrupt officials. There was a noticeable improvement in Great Xia’s conditions, and the common people began to praise Empress Xia Yuan, sensing a tide of popular support for her.】

【However, due to her domineering style, many officials and noble families became dissatisfied and began secret collusions.】

【In response, Empress Xia Yuan did not restrain herself but instead acted even more domineering, even summoning the invincible ancient ancestors of the Great Xia Royal Family to suppress the traitors. She understood that Great Xia was at the brink of collapse and needed drastic measures to govern, with no room for hesitation.】
【These actions left many feudal lords both shocked and angered, yet terrified. Due to the fearsome might of the Invincible Patriarch, they could only choose to lie low, not daring to act too recklessly, lest the Empress catch them in the act and eliminate them.】

【At the end of Xia Kingdom’s Year 494, the Empress began to reform the imperial examination system, selecting talents nationwide, injecting fresh blood into Great Xia, and attempting to break down class solidification. Many scholars were thrilled, seeing hope in becoming officials.】

【However, this action offended another group of officials to death. They were deeply dissatisfied with the Empress, but due to her domineering ways, they dared not openly show it and could only comply.】

【At the end of Xia Kingdom’s Year 494, the Empress’s excellent governance saw the old and new officials begin to transition, with fresh blood emerging. Great Xia showed signs of revival, and the people’s lives gradually improved.】

【Although you are in the Sword Spirit Sect, you have witnessed everything happening in Great Xia. You know very well that the reason the Empress can extensively reform the court and suppress numerous villains is due to the invincible patriarch of the royal family. This invincible patriarch has reached the peak of the Spirit Origin Realm, with no equals. But if he were to die, chaos would ensue, and Xia Yuan’s confidence would vanish. In this world, strength speaks louder than words.】

【At the end of Xia Kingdom’s Year 495, the Invincible Patriarch of the Great Xia Royal Family passed away, and the long-suppressed forces could no longer hold back. They banded together, launched a rebellion, and began to seize cities, plunging the world into chaos.】

【Meanwhile, the second Supreme Elder of the Sword Spirit Sect discovered traces of the Fire Spirit Flower and sought to collaborate with other Supreme Elders to harvest it. You appeared at the perfect moment, stating that you had also seen the Fire Spirit Flower and revealing the terrifying power of the Fire Pattern Demon Tiger, and that there was another seventh-level demonic beast, the Twin-Tailed Snake Tiger, shocking Bai Tianhong and the other elders.】

【Ultimately, they believed your words and dispatched even more elders. To be safe, they also brought the sect’s sacred spirit weapon, the Green Spirit Sword.】

【Thanks to thorough preparations, the hunt went smoothly. The Supreme Elders easily killed the two demonic beasts and harvested the Fire Spirit Flower.】

【Seeing Bai Tianhong and the others return safely, you also breathed a sigh of relief.】

【In the Year 496 of Great Xia, the court’s army and the feudal lords engaged in fierce offensives and defenses, with heavy casualties on both sides. However, due to Xia Yuan’s excellent governance, the court’s troops were not as corrupt as before and demonstrated strong combat power, temporarily avoiding a decline.】

【However, as more and more forces dissatisfied with the Empress’s policies joined the feudal lords for their own benefit, the pressure on the court’s army increased.】

【At the end of Xia King’s Year 496, the Empress, seeking victory, risked entering the forbidden area hidden by the Great Xia Royal Family. Against all odds, she successfully passed the trial within the forbidden area, obtaining the spiritual weapon, Mystic Ice Mirror, and successfully bound it to herself.】

【With the assistance of the Mystic Ice Mirror, the Empress personally led the troops. Even the ninth-level Spirit Origin Realm experts were extremely cautious and dared not confront her head-on. This increased the pressure on the feudal lords, causing them to show signs of defeat.】

【Hearing this news, you were very surprised. You never expected that the Great Xia Royal Family possessed a spiritual weapon, which explained Xia Yuan’s boldness in her extensive reforms. However, you were puzzled as to why your memory had no information about the Great Xia Royal Family having a spiritual weapon.】

【Driven to madness, the feudal lords allied with the Chu Kingdom, inviting the invincible figure from Chu Kingdom, who carried a quasi-spiritual weapon…】