Revival of a Martial Arts Legend, the Empress's Invitation

Just one sword.

Draw Sword to Sever Heaven.

Everyone present stared wide-eyed at the sight, their faces filled with disbelief.

Even the Director, a legendary figure who had weathered countless storms, only felt a chill run down his back. It all felt like a dream.

He knew perfectly well just how terrifying Dugu Jian was!

Yet even after using his strongest ultimate art, Dugu Jian had still been cut down by Li Chunfeng in a single stroke?

The Director looked at his disciple and only felt that Li Chunfeng was incomparably unfamiliar at this moment, so unfamiliar that he seemed like someone the Director did not know at all.

Even the Director was like this, let alone Song Duanyang, Lin Ping, Dongfang Ye, and the others. They felt as though they had been struck by lightning and could not recover their senses for a long while.

They had originally thought that the battle between Li Chunfeng and Dugu Jian would be an incomparably exhilarating clash. Who could have expected the great battle to end so quickly?

"Draw Sword to Sever Heaven!"

In truth, Li Chunfeng's heart was also shaking violently. He was merely a tool; the one who had truly acted from behind the scenes was Ren Xiaoyao. Yet Ren Xiaoyao's methods had indeed exceeded Li Chunfeng's imagination.

Was the Heavenly Human Realm truly this powerful?

Li Chunfeng even began to harbor such doubts. He casually glanced at Ren Xiaoyao and found no disordered fluctuations of aura around him.

This meant that although Ren Xiaoyao had just slain Dugu Jian with a sword strike from afar, he had not used his full strength at all!

Realizing this, Li Chunfeng only felt his scalp tingle, unable to let it go for a long time.

At the foot of Fulong Mountain.

Quite a few Martial Artists were also waiting for the battle between Li Chunfeng and Dugu Jian. They were immensely curious, for this battle was destined to be recorded in the annals of the martial world. Yet after hearing only a thunder-like roaring sound from Fulong Mountain's summit, there was no further movement at all.

This did not make sense.

By all logic, a battle between True Man Realm Martial Artists should have been an explosive and earth-shaking affair. Even if they completely blasted apart the Imperial Observatory's entire compound, it would not have been strange in the slightest.

Yet after that roar, the direction of the Imperial Observatory fell into deathly silence, leaving these Martial Artists uneasy.

Just then, a figure hurried down from Fulong Mountain. When everyone looked closely, they saw that it was Song Duanyang, the Grandmaster Realm Martial Artist and Division Master of the Sun Gazing Division within the Imperial Observatory.

Song Duanyang did not pay any attention to these Martial Artists who had come to watch the excitement. Instead, holding the broken Remnant Rainbow Sword, he hurried toward the Capital City. After all, Dugu Jian's death at Li Chunfeng's hands was far too significant and had to be reported to the Imperial Court.

"Th-this... isn't that what Song Duanyang is holding the Remnant Rainbow Sword? No, how was the Remnant Rainbow Sword split open down the middle? The Remnant Rainbow Sword has been destroyed!"

Someone cried out in shock.

"The Sword Exists, So Does the Person; when the sword is destroyed, the person dies!"

The Martial Artists immediately sucked in a cold breath and said.

"Dugu Jian is dead! Li Chunfeng killed Dugu Jian and destroyed his Remnant Rainbow Sword. Li Chunfeng is not merely suspected to be in the Heavenly Human Realm—he is a genuine Heavenly Human!"

"There really are living Heavenly Humans in this world!"

It had been far, far too long since a Heavenly Human had appeared in the martial world. Thus, when word previously spread that Li Chunfeng was in the Heavenly Human Realm, not many in the martial world believed it.

But after this battle, no one harbored any doubts any longer. Everyone was certain that this former martial arts legend had completely revived within the martial world and attained the Heavenly Human Realm!

True Martial Sect.

Sect Master Ren Xuanji sat in a chair.

He lifted his teacup and looked smilingly at his eldest son, Ren Ruohai, beside him, saying,

"Ruohai, I have received Qianqiu Pavilion's reply. They are willing to accept you as a Core Disciple. In a few days, you will head to Qianqiu Pavilion to cultivate!"

"A Core Disciple of Qianqiu Pavilion!"

Upon hearing this, Ren Ruohai was also incomparably excited. "Everything has been planned so well by Father. Your son will surely make a name for himself in the future, bringing glory to our ancestors!"

"Of course!"

Ren Xuanji was also in excellent spirits.

"Once you enter Qianqiu Pavilion as a Core Disciple, at the very least, you will reach the True Man Realm in the future. You may even attain the Heavenly Human Realm. Your achievements will certainly surpass mine!"

At this moment, an official of the True Martial Sect hurried over and urgently reported the battle between Li Chunfeng and Dugu Jian to Ren Xuanji.

When Ren Xuanji heard that Li Chunfeng had killed Dugu Jian with a single sword strike, his expression changed drastically. The teacup in his hand crashed to the ground as he said with disbelief written all over his face,

"A Heavenly Human! Li Chunfeng truly attained the Heavenly Human Realm!"

Ren Xuanji's relationship with Li Chunfeng had always been terrible. Li Chunfeng attaining the Heavenly Human Realm was naturally tremendous bad news for Ren Xuanji.

"Father!"

Ren Ruohai snorted coldly at this moment.

"So what if Li Chunfeng attained the Heavenly Human Realm? He is already old. At most, this is all he will amount to. As long as I enter Qianqiu Pavilion and learn superior martial arts, I will surely crush him to death in the future!"

"Indeed!"

Only then did Ren Xuanji's expression ease slightly, but the gloom in his eyes still refused to disperse for a long time.

Princess Taiping's Residence.

Princess Taiping had naturally also received the latest intelligence. She looked at the middle-aged palace maid beside her and said, "Phoenix Hall Master, things are clear now. Li Chunfeng is absolutely a genuine Heavenly Human Martial Artist!"

"Unexpected."

Phoenix Hall Master nodded as well.

"It seems Li Chunfeng is indeed worth us spending great effort to win over. After all, anyone who can attain the Heavenly Human Realm in the outside world has extraordinary qualities."

Within the Imperial Palace.

The Empress had originally been reviewing memorials when Phoenix hurried to her side, knelt, and presented a memorial.

"Your Majesty, it has basically been confirmed. Li Chunfeng is genuinely in the Heavenly Human Realm, the first Martial Artist recorded by us to attain the Heavenly Human Realm in the past ten years!"

"Li Chunfeng!"

The Empress was also taken aback. Her gaze turned toward the palace gates, as if she had recalled events from long ago. Then she said, "It seems I must personally make a trip to the Imperial Observatory."

The outside world was surging with wind and clouds, yet Li Chunfeng sat in his room within the Imperial Observatory for a long time.

He finally understood what Ren Xiaoyao had meant by using killing to stop war. Now, the outside world believed Li Chunfeng could kill a Martial Artist of Dugu Jian's level with a single sword strike.

Then those Martial Artists weaker than Dugu Jian would naturally no longer dare entertain thoughts of challenging Li Chunfeng, unless they had grown tired of living.

"Who exactly did Ren Xiaoyao learn his martial arts from?"

Li Chunfeng still had this confusion in his heart. By all logic, Ren Xiaoyao had been under Ren Xuanji's watch since childhood, so he could not possibly have had the chance to practice martial arts.

Yet Ren Xiaoyao was now this powerful.

How exactly had he done it?

Naturally, Li Chunfeng could not figure it out no matter how much he thought. In the end, he could only use the word monstrous genius to describe Ren Xiaoyao.

Although Ren Xiaoyao had instantly killed Dugu Jian with one sword, he did not become arrogant in the slightest.

He was still at the Third Heaven of the Dao Realm. On the road of cultivation, he had only just begun. He still needed to continue cultivating and become even stronger. Cultivation was something that absolutely could not be delayed.

Ren Xiaoyao cultivated steadily for over half a month.

During this time, Ren Xiaoyao felt that the spiritual power within his body, which had been calm for a long time, was stirring upward once again. He had a premonition that he would soon break through into the Dao Realm Fourth Heaven.

Ren Xiaoyao was naturally delighted. He eagerly anticipated just how powerful he would become after entering the Dao Realm Fourth Heaven.

That night, Ren Xiaoyao was still cultivating in his room.

Li Chunfeng came to find Ren Xiaoyao and said, "Xiao Ren, a great figure will be arriving at the Imperial Observatory tomorrow. Guess who it is?"

"Other than the Empress, there should be no one else you would call a great figure, right?"

Ren Xiaoyao replied.

"It is no fun asking you questions!"

Li Chunfeng immediately deflated.

"It is indeed the Empress. She will come to the Imperial Observatory tomorrow. Her purpose should be to recruit me. Do you want to meet the Empress as well?"

"Why would I meet the Empress?"

Ren Xiaoyao shook his head. "I am just a tiny ant, unworthy of entering the Empress's eyes. The one the Empress truly cares about is a Heavenly Human Realm Martial Artist like you."

"How sarcastic!"

Li Chunfeng snorted.

"Anyway, you have gotten me into a terrible mess. Countless people have wanted to visit me these past few days. I have turned away wave after wave of them, so busy that I do not even have time to observe the stars."

"That is not bad either. Change your mindset, and perhaps you really can walk out of the shadow of going astray back then, take another step forward, and truly enter the Heavenly Human Realm."

Ren Xiaoyao chuckled.

"I will take that as a good omen."

Li Chunfeng sighed. "But I do not think that day will ever come."

The next day, the Empress officially visited the Imperial Observatory.

As the Son of Heaven, the Empress naturally traveled with imperial majesty. First, she dispatched tens of thousands of troops to seal off all of Fulong Mountain. Then, a group of guards clad in golden armor went up the mountain ahead of her. Ren Xiaoyao's Spiritual Sense could detect that these guards were all Grandmaster Realm existences.

Not long afterward, the Empress appeared atop the Imperial Observatory.

The Empress wore a dragon robe and an Emperor Crown, with a long sword at her waist. Though she was already in her fifties, she looked only a little over thirty.

As the first female Son of Heaven in all the dynasties.

The Empress naturally possessed supreme majesty.

Although Li Chunfeng often said that compared with the endless void and the vast universe, even the Empress was merely a grain of dust.

But under these circumstances, Li Chunfeng did not even have the courage to look directly at the Empress, for the oppressive pressure was simply too great.

Li Chunfeng alone received the Empress. The Director should have been there as well, but his delusion had flared up again, making it inconvenient for him to meet the Empress.

Ren Xiaoyao remained in his room. His Spiritual Sense also heard the conversation between the Empress and Li Chunfeng. The Empress expressed her hope that Li Chunfeng would enter the Capital City and serve her, and that she would grant him the official post of Imperial Preceptor, first rank.

Li Chunfeng naturally refused without hesitation.

The Empress's expression turned cold in an instant, but she did not say much. Instead, she spoke, "Chunfeng, I recall that Ren Xiaoyao seems to be a disciple registered under your name. Have him come out. I wish to meet him."

Li Chunfeng's eyelid twitched upon hearing the Empress's words. He did not know what medicine the Empress was selling from her gourd.

Why did she want to meet Ren Xiaoyao for no reason at all?

But since the Empress had spoken, Li Chunfeng could only have Ren Xiaoyao come out.

Ren Xiaoyao's Spiritual Sense had naturally detected this conversation as well. Though puzzled, he was bold because of his great skill and did not fear the Empress. Upon hearing Li Chunfeng's call, he came out to meet her.

However, Ren Xiaoyao was a transmigrator after all and had no habit of kneeling before anyone. Yet when the Empress saw this, she did not grow angry. Instead, her gaze softened.

"Ren Xiaoyao, I have already investigated the matter thoroughly. The person who released the Saintess of the Mystic Moon Demonic Cult back then was not you. You were wrongly accused. I have come to the Imperial Observatory this time to take you back to the palace. From now on, you will remain by my side. Are you willing?"

Before Ren Xiaoyao could answer upon hearing this, lines of text appeared before his eyes once more.

[You have received the Empress's invitation. You have the following choices]

[One, accept the Empress and follow her into the Imperial Palace. You may obtain the Empress's favor]

[Two, refuse the Empress and remain in the Imperial Observatory to continue cultivating immortality in a low-profile manner. You may obtain a Magic Item]