Xuanyuan Sword is Born

Mu Lan Empire, Imperial Capital.

"What are your thoughts on the current situation?"

Mo Tianming, the Emperor of the Mu Lan Empire, sat in the grand hall, his brow furrowed in deep concern. Facing pressure from the Jia Ma Empire and the Chu Yun Empire, he found no peace.

Seated before him were the Mu Lan Three Elders of Mu Lan Valley, Yan Luotian of the Golden Goose Sect from the Yan Luo Empire, and Yan Luotian's emperor, Yan Luocang.

To thwart the Jia Ma Empire's ambitions, these two nations had finally set aside past grievances and joined forces. Today marked an important summit.

Everyone voiced their opinions.

Yan Luocang said, "This Emperor believes that given the current circumstances, our two nations are simply unable to resist. Why not seek aid from the Heavenly Snake Mansion? It's said they have several Venerables. If the Heavenly Snake Mansion were to intervene, they could surely crush the forces of the Misty Cloud Sect and the Ten Thousand Scorpion Gate."

"This old man disagrees," Elder Huli, the Grand Elder of Mu Lan Valley, shook his head, rejecting Yan Luocang's proposal. He snorted at Yan Luocang, "Your Majesty Yan Luo, your words are mistaken. The Heavenly Snake Mansion is known for its insatiable greed. Even if they repel the enemy, they will demand heavy compensation from my Mu Lan Empire. By then, wouldn't my Mu Lan Empire become an empty shell, greatly weakened?"

Huli's reasoning was sound; a nation without treasury resources would eventually face ruin.

"Uh... this Emperor had considered that. At that time, my Yan Luo Empire will provide some financial assistance to Mu Lan," Yan Luocang said, patting his chest, appearing quite magnanimous.

"Hmph, if Your Majesty Yan Luo is so generous, then you should join me in Mu Lan to invite the experts from the Heavenly Snake Mansion. The hiring fees should be split equally between our two nations. Otherwise, even if Mu Lan isn't conquered by Jia Ma, won't it eventually be swallowed by certain individuals?" Huli retorted without politeness.

A flash of anger crossed Yan Luocang's eyes, and he displeasedly said, "Elder Huli, your words are unreasonable. It is Jia Ma and Chu Yun who are attacking your Mu Lan, not our Yan Luo. I offered my good intentions, and you suspect me?"

Saying this, Yan Luocang angrily flicked his sleeve, preparing to leave. "Forget it. Such words are deeply hurtful. This Emperor's heart is now as cold as ice. Without even basic trust between allies, can we still have a pleasant time together?"

"Your Majesty Yan Luo, please wait," Mo Tianming stood up, urging Yan Luocang to calm down.

"The principle of 'when the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold' has existed since ancient times. Your Majesty Yan Luo, you can imagine, with Jia Ma currently so powerful, if they truly annex my Mu Lan, then Mu Lan will inevitably become part of Jia Ma. At that time, the Jia Ma Empire's power will be even greater. Will they let your Yan Luo go?

Just as Your Majesty Yan Luo said, our two nations need basic trust. Then why are we arguing so fiercely at this critical juncture!

The Mu Lan Empire is the foundation painstakingly built by my Mo family's ancestors. I, Mo Tianming, do not wish for this foundation to be taken away. I believe Your Majesty Yan Luo also does not wish for your own foundation to be seized, right?"

"Emperor Mu Lan speaks the truth," Yan Luocang slightly retracted his selfish intentions and sat back down.

He had intended to let the Mu Lan Empire and Jia Ma fight to the death, and then seize the opportunity to annex the ruined Mu Lan Empire and expand his power, forming a balance of power with the Jia Ma Empire. But after Mo Tianming's words, he suddenly felt his small scheme was unfeasible.

"In fact, the current strong enemies are not significant at all," Yan Luotian, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke. "Yun Shan of the Misty Cloud Sect is merely a low-level Dou Ancestor. If the three elders of Mu Lan can hold him back, it will certainly reduce the enemy's combat power. As for Xie Biyan of the Ten Thousand Scorpion Gate, he is only a four-star Dou Ancestor, and my sect can easily defeat him."

"Oh? May I ask the cultivation of Sect Master Yan?" everyone inquired.

Yan Luotian said proudly, "My realm suddenly loosened yesterday, and I have broken through to seven-star Dou Ancestor."

Shock!

No one had expected Yan Luotian's cultivation to improve further. It seemed that with Yan Luotian's intervention, there was no need to fear the Jia Ma Empire.

"Wait a moment, have you all forgotten something?" Mo Tianming reminded them. "It is rumored that the Misty Cloud Sect has an unfathomably profound Ancestor, and that Ancestor also has a servant at the peak of Dou Ancestor. This is the key."

Yan Luotian narrowed his eyes, placed a hand on the table, and tapped it with his fingers. "This sect believes your concerns are entirely unnecessary. If the Misty Cloud Sect truly had a powerful Ancestor, they would have likely annihilated our two nations long ago. Why go through so much trouble?"

Mo Tianming remained noncommittal. "Sect Master Yan, it is better to believe it exists than to believe it doesn't!"

"Rumble..."

At this moment, the Mu Lan Imperial Capital was shaken by an earthquake. The intense tremors tossed the city's inhabitants about like rag dolls. The ground cracked inch by inch, houses collapsed, and from the ruins of the city, heart-wrenching wails could be heard.

After a long while, the earthquake finally subsided.

"What's going on?"

Mo Tianming and the others were startled by this sudden turn of events and hastily ordered people to investigate.

In less than a moment, a palace guard scrambled into the grand hall, kneeling before Mo Tianming. He stammered, "Re-re-report, Your Majesty, the ancestral tomb... the ancestral tomb exploded."

"What ancestral tomb exploded? Explain in detail," Mo Tianming frowned.

"The mausoleum of the First Emperor. For some unknown reason, it suddenly collapsed and opened. Holy light erupted from the ancient tomb, causing this tremor," the guard trembled.

"What?" Upon hearing that his ancestor's tomb had exploded, Mo Tianming could no longer sit still and rushed towards the First Emperor's mausoleum.

The others in the grand hall were also somewhat interested and followed closely towards the Mo family's tomb.

At this time, above the Mo family's First Emperor mausoleum, auspicious clouds filled the sky, creating a celestial phenomenon.

A large mass of clouds gathered, obscuring the scorching sun. Countless clouds condensed into the shapes of various divine beasts: a blue dragon churning the sea, a white tiger emerging from the mountains, a vermilion bird spreading its wings, a black tortoise carrying a monument, a qilin swallowing the sky...

The wind howled through the firmament, and thunder rumbled.

"This..."

Mo Tianming was stunned. This tomb was the resting place of the Mu Lan founding emperor, Mo Yingtian. How could such a thing happen today?

"Look quickly, something is coming out of the tomb!"

At Elder Huli's shout, everyone looked over. Their scalps tingled instantly, and they were dumbfounded.

From beneath the tomb, a peerless divine sword emerged, radiating immense heavenly might and dazzling the world.

On one side of the sword, the sun, moon, stars, and boundless galaxy were carved. On the other side, mountains, rivers, flowers, and trees were depicted. At the hilt, one side bore carvings of farming, sericulture, and animal husbandry techniques, while the other side depicted strategies for unifying the nine provinces and four seas.

The king's might emanated from the sword, compelling everyone to bow. This feeling was a mixture of three parts reverence, three parts fear, and four parts belonging.

"Xuanyuan Sword?"

Mo Tianming silently uttered the name carved on the sword, thinking to himself, Could this be the divine weapon of the Mu Lan Empire's founding emperor who expanded its territory?

He surmised that if the founding emperor had a spirit in heaven, he would surely know of the calamity the Mu Lan Empire was about to face, and thus revealed this divine sword to the world to ensure the continuation of the Mo family's royal lineage.

"Hahaha, it truly is a divine weapon. This sect will take it."

Seeing the divine sword's immense power, Yan Luotian's greed was instantly ignited. He spread his wings and swiftly lunged towards the Xuanyuan Sword.

He believed that with this treasured sword, he, Yan Luotian, would surely forge a formidable reputation on the Dou Qi Continent.

"Not good, stop him quickly!" Mo Tianming couldn't let Yan Luotian snatch away his ancestor's treasured sword. He immediately ordered his men to seize it, but it was too late. Yan Luotian had already reached the Xuanyuan Sword and grabbed for it.

"Buzz!"

Suddenly, the Xuanyuan Sword unleashed a powerful energy, blasting Yan Luotian hundreds of meters away on the spot.

"What's going on?" Yan Luotian's expression was one of great shock. He felt a tightness in his chest, his blood essence surging violently. He hurriedly sat down and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.

He hadn't expected that the strength of a Seven-Star Dou Ancestor would be so vulnerable before this sword.

"Ahahaha!" Mo Tianming couldn't help but laugh heartily upon seeing the arrogant and conceited Yan Luotian falter. "Sect Master Yan, this sword is a divine weapon of my Mo family's ancestors. Naturally, it only recognizes my Mo family's descendants. I'll have to trouble you, Sect Master Yan, for just confirming that."

Yan Luotian abruptly opened his eyes and huffed, "This sect observes that this sword is malevolent and awe-inspiring, not a weapon of righteous path. Your Majesty of Mu Lan should be cautious. Do not wait until you are backstabbed by this evil entity one day before regretting it!"

What they called "sour grapes" was perfectly displayed by Yan Luotian.

Mo Tianming smiled, ignoring Yan Luotian's furious expression. He then walked to the Xuanyuan Sword and knelt down with a thud.

He clasped his hands together and sincerely kowtowed ten times.

"Founding Emperor, we beseech you, bless the Mo family's royal lineage to continue."

After speaking, he rose to take the sword.

At this moment, everyone's gaze was fixed upon it.

If this divine sword were obtained by Mu Lan, the empire would undoubtedly prosper.

Even a Seven-Star Dou Ancestor like Yan Luotian couldn't withstand the sword's might. Doesn't that mean whoever obtains this sword will have the strength to sweep aside all below the Dou Venerate realm?

Perhaps, even a Dou Venerate might fall before this divine sword. That was also possible.