Mu Lan Empire, imperial capital.
"What does everyone think of the current situation?"
Emperor Mo Tianming of the Mu Lan Empire sat in the main hall, his brows furrowed. The pressure from the Jia Ma Empire and Chu Yun Empire had left him unable to sleep or rest.
Seated before him were the Mu Lan Three Elders of Mu Lan Valley, Yan Luotian of the Golden Goose Sect in the Yan Luo Empire, and Emperor Yan Luo Cang.
To stop the Jia Ma Empire's ambitions, the two countries had finally set aside their past grievances and joined forces against their common enemy. Today's meeting was of great importance.
Everyone began voicing their opinions.
Yan Luo Cang said, "I believe that, given the current situation, our two countries are simply incapable of resisting them. Why don't you seek aid from the Heavenly Snake Mansion? I've heard that it possesses several venerable elders. If the Heavenly Snake Mansion intervenes, it will certainly crush the forces of the Misty Cloud Sect and the Ten Thousand Scorpion Gate."
"I disagree." Elder Huli, the Great Elder of Mu Lan Valley, shook his head and rejected Yan Luo Cang's proposal. He snorted coldly at him.
"Lord Yan Luo, you're mistaken. The Heavenly Snake Mansion is notorious for its greed. Even if they drive back our powerful enemies, they'll demand a hefty price from the Mu Lan Empire. When that happens, won't our empire become an empty shell, strong on the outside but weak within, with its national strength severely damaged?"
Elder Huli's concern was justified. A country without resources in its treasury would face destruction sooner or later.
"Uh... I've considered that as well. When the time comes, my Yan Luo Empire will provide Mu Lan with some financial assistance." Yan Luo Cang slapped his chest, putting on a very chivalrous show.
"Hmph. If Lord Yan Luo is truly so generous with your wealth, then you should invite the experts of the Heavenly Snake Mansion together with us and split the hiring fee equally between our two countries. Otherwise, even if Jia Ma doesn't occupy Mu Lan, won't we eventually be swallowed up by certain people?" Elder Huli shot back without the slightest restraint.
A flash of anger crossed Yan Luo Cang's eyes. He said unhappily, "Elder Huli, that makes no sense. The Jia Ma Empire and Chu Yun Empire are the ones trying to attack Mu Lan, not Yan Luo. I kindly offered you advice, yet you've turned around and started suspecting me."
As he spoke, Yan Luo Cang angrily flung his sleeve and turned to leave. "Forget it. Such words are truly hurtful. My heart is now as cold as ice. If even the basic trust between little partners is gone, can we still play together happily?"
"Lord Yan Luo, please wait." Mo Tianming rose to his feet and urged Yan Luo Cang to calm down.
"The principle that when the lips are gone, the teeth suffer has existed since ancient times. Lord Yan Luo, think about it. Jia Ma is currently powerful. If it truly annexes Mu Lan, then our Mu Lan will inevitably become part of Jia Ma. By then, the Jia Ma Empire will be even more powerful. Do you think it will spare Yan Luo?
"Just as Lord Yan Luo said, our two countries need to have basic trust. Then why are we arguing until our faces are red at such a critical moment?
"The Mu Lan Empire is the foundation our Mo family's ancestors painstakingly built. I, Mo Tianming, am unwilling to see it taken away. I imagine Lord Yan Luo doesn't want your own foundation seized either, does he?"
"His Majesty the Mu Lan Emperor is right." Yan Luo Cang slightly put away his own schemes and sat down again.
He had originally intended to let the Mu Lan Empire and Jia Ma fight each other to the bitter end, then take advantage of the opportunity to annex the ruined Mu Lan Empire and expand his own power, forming a balance of two powers with the Jia Ma Empire. But after Mo Tianming's words, he suddenly felt that his little scheme was unwise.
"Actually, our current powerful enemies are nothing to worry about." Yan Luotian, who had remained silent for a long time, finally spoke.
"Yun Shan of the Misty Cloud Sect is only a low-level Dou Zong. If the three elders of Mu Lan can restrain him, our opponent will inevitably lose one combatant. As for Xie Biyan of the Ten Thousand Scorpion Gate, he is merely a four-star Dou Zong. I can easily drive him back myself."
"Oh? May we ask what your current cultivation level is, Sect Master Yan?" everyone asked.
Yan Luotian said proudly, "My realm suddenly loosened yesterday, allowing me to break through to seven-star Dou Zong."
Everyone was shocked!
No one had expected Yan Luotian's cultivation to advance again. It seemed that with Yan Luotian taking action, they no longer needed to fear the Jia Ma Empire.
"Wait a moment. Have you forgotten something?" Mo Tianming reminded them. "It's said that the Misty Cloud Sect has an unfathomable ancestor, and that ancestor also has a peak Dou Zong servant under his command. That is the crucial point."
Yan Luotian narrowed his eyes slightly. Resting one hand on the table, he tapped its surface lightly with his five fingers. "I think all of your concerns are unnecessary. If the Misty Cloud Sect truly had such a formidable ancestor, our two countries would have been destroyed long ago. Why would he go to such lengths?"
Mo Tianming neither agreed nor disagreed. He said, "Sect Master Yan, it is better to believe that such a thing exists than to believe it does not!"
"Rumble!"
At that moment, the earth shook within Mu Lan's imperial capital. The violent tremors sent the citizens reeling. In an instant, the ground split apart inch by inch, houses collapsed, and heart-wrenching cries rang out from the ruins that covered the city.
Only after a long while did the earthquake finally stop.
"What happened?"
Mo Tianming and the others were startled by the sudden disaster and hurriedly ordered people to investigate.
Before long, a guard from outside the hall came rolling and crawling inside. He dropped to one knee before Mo Tianming and stammered,
"Y-your... Your Majesty, the imperial tombs... the imperial tombs have exploded!"
"What do you mean, the imperial tombs exploded? Explain in detail." Mo Tianming frowned.
"The mausoleum of the founding emperor's imperial tomb suddenly collapsed for some unknown reason. Holy light shot into the sky from within the ancient tomb, causing the tremors." The guard spoke with a trembling voice.
"What?" As soon as he heard that his ancestor's tomb had exploded, Mo Tianming could no longer sit still. He hurried toward the mausoleum of the founding emperor.
The others in the main hall were interested as well and followed Mo Tianming toward the Mo family's ancestral tombs.
At that moment, the sky above the Mo family's imperial mausoleum blazed with radiant light, filling the world with strange phenomena.
Massive clouds gathered and blocked the scorching sun. Countless clouds took the forms of various divine beasts: the Azure Dragon churning the sea, the White Tiger emerging from the mountains, the Vermilion Bird spreading its wings, the Black Tortoise carrying a stele, and the qilin devouring the heavens...
Wild winds howled through the sky, and thunder boomed.
"This..."
Mo Tianming was dumbfounded. This tomb was the resting place of Mo Yingtian, the founding emperor of Mu Lan. How could something like this be happening today?
"Look, everyone! Something is coming out of the tomb!"
At Elder Huli's shout, everyone looked over. Their scalps instantly went numb, and they stood there dumbstruck.
A peerless divine sword shot out from beneath the tomb. The divine sword radiated mighty heavenly might, its brilliance dazzling the world.
One side of the blade was engraved with the sun, moon, stars, and the boundless galaxy. The other side bore mountains, rivers, flowers, and trees. One side of the hilt was engraved with the arts of farming, sericulture, and animal husbandry, while the other bore the strategy for unifying the nine provinces and the four seas.
The might of a king radiated from the sword, giving everyone the urge to kneel and worship. That feeling contained three parts reverence, three parts fear, and four parts a sense of belonging.
"Xuanyuan Sword?"
Mo Tianming silently read the name engraved on the sword and thought to himself, Could this be the divine weapon that the founding emperor of Mu Lan used to expand his territory?
He surmised that the founding emperor's spirit in heaven must have sensed the calamity facing the Mu Lan Empire. That was why he had brought this divine sword into the world—to protect the Mo family's imperial clan and allow it to continue.
"Hahaha, it truly is a divine weapon. I'll take this sword." Seeing the sword's rolling heavenly might, Yan Luotian immediately grew greedy. He spread the wings behind him and shot toward Xuanyuan Sword at top speed.
With this treasured sword, he believed that Yan Luotian would certainly make a resounding name for himself across the Dou Qi Continent.
"Not good! Stop him!" Mo Tianming could not bear to let Yan Luotian seize his ancestor's sword. He immediately ordered people to take it, but it was already too late. Yan Luotian had reached Xuanyuan Sword and grabbed at it.
"Buzz!"
Suddenly, Xuanyuan Sword unleashed a powerful energy that sent Yan Luotian flying hundreds of meters on the spot.
"What happened?" Yan Luotian's expression changed drastically. His chest felt stifled, and his blood and qi surged violently through his body. He hurriedly sat down where he was, closed his eyes, and began regulating his breathing.
He had never expected the strength of a seven-star Dou Zong to be utterly helpless before this sword.
"Hahahaha!" Seeing the proud and arrogant Yan Luotian suffer, Mo Tianming could not help laughing. "Sect Master Yan, this sword is the divine weapon of my Mo family's ancestors. Naturally, it recognizes only the descendants of my Mo family. Thank you for proving that just now."
Yan Luotian abruptly opened his eyes and said angrily, "I see that this sword is sinister and evil, clearly not a weapon of the righteous path. His Majesty the Mu Lan Emperor had better be careful. Do not wait until you are devoured by this evil object before regretting it!"
This was a perfect example of sour grapes after failing to obtain them. Yan Luotian was acting it out to perfection.
Mo Tianming smiled and ignored Yan Luotian's furious expression. He then walked over to Xuanyuan Sword and dropped to his knees.
He clasped his hands together and reverently kowtowed ten times.
"Great Founding Emperor, please bless the Mo family's imperial clan and allow it to continue."
After saying this, he rose and reached for the sword.
At that moment, everyone's eyes were fixed on it.
If the Mu Lan Empire obtained this divine sword, it would inevitably flourish.
Even Yan Luotian, a seven-star Dou Zong, had been unable to withstand the sword's might. Did that mean whoever obtained this sword would possess the strength to sweep aside anyone below the Dou Zun realm?
Perhaps even a Dou Zun could fall before this divine sword. That was not impossible.
Before you continue